July 2019 musculardevelopment.com MD 109been somewhat unclear. Since muscle
damage caused by exercise triggers an
inflammatory response that most likely
contributes to this soreness, a study by
Crane et al.^6 investigated whether massage
reduced muscle soreness by decreasing
inflammation. During this study, researchers
took muscle biopsies from the quadriceps of
11 young males after they had exercised to
exhaustion on a stationary bicycle. One of
their legs was massaged, while the other leg
was not. Biopsies were taken from both legs
prior to the exercise and after exercise and 10
minutes of massage treatment. The results
of this research showed that massage
dampened the expression of inflammatory
related molecules in the muscle cells, which
most likely reduced swelling and pain
associated with weightlifting. In addition, a
rather surprising result was that massage
also promoted the production of new
mitochondria, which are energy-producing
organelles found in the cell. This increase in
mitochondria indicates that massage may
also have a positive influence on muscular
endurance, as more mitochondria increase
the rate that muscles can produce energy,
supporting greater stamina.
Reduced Muscle soReness
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
commonly occurs between 24 and 72
hours after intense eccentric muscular
contraction.7-8 The consequences of DOMS
are prolonged loss of muscle strength9-10,
soreness and swelling^11 , decreased range
of motion^12 and diminished performance.^13
These changes may also increase the risk
of sports injury. Massage has been shown
to be one of the more effective treatments
commonly used to alleviate DOMS by
increasing local blood flow and decreasing
swelling and pain.14-15
One such study by Hart et al.^16 had
students perform high-intensity biceps curls,
doing six sets of 10 reps while focusing on
the eccentric portion of the movement. Three
hours after the training session, one of the
test subject’s arms was massaged for 10
minutes while the other arm did not get a
massage. The massaged biceps was less
swollen and sore after training. In addition,
when the researchers took blood from both
arms, they noticed that the blood from the
arm that had been massaged contained
considerably less amounts of the enzyme
creatine kinase, which is a marker of muscle
damage as it enters the blood by leaking out
of damaged muscle cells. Altogether, these
results show that the subjects who received
massage experienced less soreness and
muscle damage after heavy eccentric
weightlifting.
References:- Okamoto T, Masuhara M
and Ikuta K. Acute Effects of
Self-Myofascial Release Using a
Foam Roller on Arterial Function. J
Strength Cond Res 2013. - Hernandez-Reif M, et al.
Lower back pain is reduced and
range of motion increased after
massage therapy. Int J Neurosci,
2001;106(3-4): p. 131-45. - Ironson G. et al. Massage
therapy is associated with
enhancement of the immune
system’s cytotoxic capacity. Int J
Neurosci 1996;84(1-4): p. 205-17. - Field T, et al. Massage and
relaxation therapies’ effects on
depressed adolescent mothers.
Adolescence 1996;31(124): p.
903-11. - Leivadi S, et al. Massage
therapy and relaxation effects
on university dance students.
J Dance Med Sci 1999;3(3): p.
108-112. - Crane JD, et al. Massage
therapy attenuates inflammatory
signaling after exercise-induced
muscle damage. Sci Transl Med
2012;4(119): p. 119ra13.- Appell HJ, Soares JM and
Duarte JA. Exercise, muscle
damage and fatigue. Sports Med
1992;13(2): p. 108-15. - Ebbeling CB and Clarkson
PM. Exercise-induced muscle
damage and adaptation. Sports
Med 1989;7(4): p. 207-34. - Clarkson PM and Sayers
SP. Etiology of exercise-induced
muscle damage. Can J Appl
Physiol 1999;24(3): p. 234-48. - Chleboun GS, et al.
Intermittent pneumatic
compression effect on eccentric
exercise-induced swelling,
stiffness, and strength loss. Arch
Phys Med Rehabil 1995;76(8): p.
744-9. - Howell JN, Chleboun G and
Conatser R. Muscle stiffness,
strength loss, swelling and
soreness following exercise-
induced injury in humans. J
Physiol 1993;464: p. 183-96.
12.Clarkson PM, Nosaka K and
Braun B. Muscle function after
exercise-induced muscle damage
and rapid adaptation. Med Sci
Sports Exerc 1992;24(5): p. 512-20.- Gleeson M, et al.
Cardiorespiratory, hormonal and
haematological responses to
submaximal cycling performed 2
days after eccentric or concentric
exercise bouts. J Sports Sci
1995;13(6): p. 471-9. - Tiidus PM and Shoemaker
JK. Effleurage massage, muscle
blood flow and long-term post-
exercise strength recovery. Int J
Sports Med 1995;16(7): p. 478-83. - Rodenburg JB, et al. Warm-
up, stretching and massage
diminish harmful effects of
eccentric exercise. Int J Sports
Med 1994;15(7): p. 414-9. - Hart JM, Swanik CB and
Tierney RT. Effects of sport
massage on limb girth and
discomfort associated with
eccentric exercise. J Athl Train
2005;40(3): p. 181-5.
For most of Michael Rudolph’s career he has been engrossed in the exercise world as either an athlete (he
played college football at Hofstra University), personal trainer or as a Research Scientist (he earned a B.Sc.
in Exercise Science at Hofstra University and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Stony Brook
University). After earning his Ph.D., Michael investigated the molecular biology of exercise as a fellow at Harvard
Medical School and Columbia University for over eight years. That research contributed seminally to understanding
the function of the incredibly important cellular energy sensor AMPK— leading to numerous publications in peer-
reviewed journals including the journal Nature. Michael is currently a scientist working at the New York Structural
Biology Center doing contract work for the Department of Defense on a project involving national security.The reduction of cortisol from massage promotes a
more anabolic environment, supporting greater muscle
growth and strength.